@downtheterphole @Dred_pirate
@Tech1145
I an attempt to remediate thc inside a cls at cold temps I used sonication as my reaction catalizer trying to get it done cold
But a very interesting Secondary result is the fact that butane evaporates vigourously deu to sonication and I wonder if it s a cold method of vapor enhancement any thoughts ?
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My theory for why this is effective is because it decreases the bubble size from gaseous solvent and reduces the percolation effect caused by large bubbles of gaseous solvent popping and releasing the gas.
Iâve noticed this effect too with heptane
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That and there is a heat spike everytime a bubble collapses deu to sonication
Which in turn might hyper activate some molecules but only for milli seconds in one place there for I assume no danger for decarbing
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youâre adding energy to your process. as expected. popping the expanded bubbles probably drops the local pressue/ boiling point slightly too.
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So is the increase im rate of evaporation directly correlate to the amount of energy input from the sonicator?
That way I imagined it was that the physical effect caused by sonication eliminated bumping and allowed me to ramp up the temps a bit.
My logic was that smaller bubbles means higher pressures inside the bubbles, which meant more gaseous solvent is held per cubic inch of internal bubble surface area. The smaller bubbles require much more pressure to rupture so most tend to pop when they reach the headspace of the reactor. I think this is reason that it dramatically reduces bumping of the solution. In a rotovap you dont want bubble formation to interupt the smooth flow caused by rotation because that would reduced your rate of heat transfer.
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Im pretty sure this is why a strap-on is mentioned in the âtricks of the trade threadâ⌠i think your just causing molecules to rub and collide, agitiation causing friction and turbulence. Definitely settling out bigger bubbles faster.
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Might as well strap the evaporation chamber to a giant shake table too!
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A strap on or shake table don t even come close to sonication
It s a very powerful tool and worth looking into
I am searching for an industrial probe that has a 1 1/2â tc on it and can withstand pressure
To do more r and d
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How does this interact with the operator? Is the noise audible to the humans that are pulling the levers?
I think my biggest concern would be the sonicator acting as an ignition source, either due to the (most likely) non-rated nature of most sonicators and the fact that those cavitation bubbles are producing temperatures that rival the surface of the sun (albeit for a fraction of a second).
A safeguard that shut down operation of the sonicator when certain temperatures are reached should probably be incorporated. Relying on an operator to ensure the chiller (or chilling material like dry ice or LN2) doesnât fail and allow temperatures to reach a dangerous level seems like a recipe for disaster, as inevitably, someone will eventually not pay close enough attention or get distracted.
The results of a lapse in attention or failure of equipment would be disastrous, at best. @Photon_noir, what do you think?
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Your system needs to have precise acoustics to produce sonoluminescence. It wonât happen just from sticking a probe in an arbitrary bath.
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I donât have a lot of experience with sonication, but those were my initial thoughts. Accidental precision of acoustics would still be disastrous.
I did sonoluminescence experiments in college. We had to stick a whole array of sonication âspeakersâ all pointed towards the center of a sphere, with precise distancing to make sure their waves all lined up in the center node. This produced one tiny little star in the middle (very pretty and breathtaking).
Sonicating things in solvent using a probe or bath is common practice in labs around the world and never once have i heard it be flagged for dangers like youâre suggesting. Oftentimes leaving probes in alcohol solutions for a whole day of blasting unattended.
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I earned the nickname âCaptian Safteyâ long before I ever stepped foot into a lab. I always err on the side of caution and defer to those with greater expertise (thank you for sharing).
In your experience, are people sonicating solvents as volitile as the hydrocarbons being discussed? Something about it doesnât sit well with me, though that could just stem from my lack of knowledge in this particular arena.
Youâd probably want an explosion proof one. Iâd be less concerned about the energy of the sonication and more of the electronics sparking the vapors. To be honest few labs outside this industry use butane.
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Have you tried Conax? I believe they might have a solution for you
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It absolutely is
Making a Sonicator explosion proof is the east part thereâs only a wire to the housing and the housings already exist in waterproof versions
As for pressure they exist rated to 150 psi
That I d like to see higher but ok
As for safety measures I think many can be implemented easily
For all it needs to do is go on or off
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My last job before hopping into this industry was as an application engineer at a company that produced ultrasonics equipment (albeit for manufacturing and assembly, not food/chemicals).
Designing the booster and probe (or whatever piece of equipment that needs to resonate) is probably the most complex part of the whole process. The other pieces are just a power supply and a piezoelectric stack at a specific frequency. I might be able to point you in the right direction.
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Thx
I have no intention of building one 
God forbid my list is already a mile long off things to do
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